Two Prominent Republicans Rumored As Potential Replacement For Attorney General Pam Bondi
With the fallout from a reported rift between FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Attorney General Pam Bondi, rumors have circulated about potential replacements for Bondi if she’s fired or resigns from her post.
Bongino reportedly is prepared to resign if Bondi remains in her position.
“Source close to Dan Bongino tells me it’s either him or Pam Bondi, and that he won’t stay at FBI if she stays at DOJ,” Mary Margaret Olohan, White House correspondent for The Daily Wire, wrote on X.
BREAKING: Source close to Dan Bongino tells me it’s either him or Pam Bondi, and that he won’t stay at FBI if she stays at DOJ.
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) July 11, 2025
It remains unclear if Bongino will resign from his post.
According to Axios, Bongino “took a day off from work” following the reported confrontation with Bondi.
https://twitter.com/axios/status/1943704301680898087?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1943704301680898087%7Ctwgr%5E1c07a80c3034786b6a9095e7e3cf55681032735b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwltreport.com%2F2025%2F07%2F12%2Ftwo-prominent-republicans-rumored-as-potential-replacement-attorney%2F
“Source tells me Dan Bongino is taking the day off today from his job as Deputy Director of the FBI, and there’s now speculation on whether or not he will return to his job at the @FBI over his disgust with Blondi’s lack of transparency and handling of the Epstein files,” investigative journalist Laura Loomer said Friday.
SCOOP:@FBIDirectorKash and @dbongino are LIVID with @AGPamBondi over her DOJ Memo and the lack of transparency from her office regarding the Jeffery Epstein files.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 11, 2025
Source tells me Dan Bongino is taking the day off today from his job as Deputy Director of the FBI, and there’s…
In a follow-up post, Loomer dropped two names rumored as possible replacements for Bondi if she’s out as the nation’s top prosecutor.
Loomer said the two possible contenders are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“If Blondi is fired, I’m told @GovRonDeSantis has been considered/floated for the role of Attorney General by some over the last few months,” Loomer wrote.
“There’s also a private push behind the scenes by some GOP donors who want to see @KenPaxtonTX
as AG, but he has US Senate aspirations,” she continued.
“However, discussions have been taking place for several months about who could be Blondi’s replacement if she ever was fired or resigned. She has not done a good job as AG and everyone knows it,” she added.
If Blondi is fired, I’m told @GovRonDeSantis has been considered/floated for the role of Attorney General by some over the last few months.
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) July 11, 2025
There’s also a private push behind the scenes by some GOP donors who want to see @KenPaxtonTX as AG, but he has US Senate aspirations.… https://t.co/A0AkW5Gnoj
Mediaite noted:
Loomer has been a fierce critic of Bondi for weeks now and has called for her resignation on several occasions. Loomer also posted a jab at Bondi, writing, “A lot of people who work for President Trump are pissed with Blondi. They know she Fkd up. Now it’s a matter of what happens next. She is an embarrassment to Donald Trump and his administration and we need to protect Trump from people who want to DRAG HIM DOWN. Blondi needs to be fired.”
Loomer has long been a controversial figure in the MAGA world, but has gained power in recent months as she has Trump’s ear. Loomer was widely reported to have been the driving force behind Trump removing National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in April, among other national security officials she urged him to purge.
Raheem Kassam, the editor for The National Pulse, floated a possibility for former Congressman Matt Gaetz to serve in the role via a recess appointment.
Gaetz was Trump’s initial nominee to serve as attorney general.
“Matt Gaetz would struggle with Senate confirmation, and to serve as ‘acting’ you need to be at the dept already. But a recess appointment?” Kassam wrote.
“The other thing people fail to understand is that *IF* Trump removes Bondi, and if she is replaced with someone who really wants to haul folks like Acosta in front of a special counsel, that special counsel AND the new AG will need POTUS levels of Secret Service protection,” he added.
8/ The other thing people fail to understand is that *IF* Trump removes Bondi, and if she is replaced with someone who really wants to haul folks like Acosta in front of a special counsel, that special counsel AND the new AG will need POTUS levels of Secret Service protection.…
— Raheem J. Kassam (@RaheemKassam) July 11, 2025
CBS News explained last year:
The legal basis for recess appointments emanates from a constitutional clause that gives the president “the power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate.” A Supreme Court ruling in 2014 concluded that recess appointments could only be made when the Senate is not in session for 10 or more days, after President Barack Obama made controversial appointments when senators were on break.
Senators often leave Washington for long stretches of time, but have utilized pro forma sessions to prevent presidents from installing nominees without their consent.
“In recent years, the Senate — regardless of which party controlled it — has used pro forma sessions to ensure that it is never in recess for more than three days,” said Josh Chafetz, a law and politics professor at Georgetown University.
For Trump to make recess appointments, the Senate would have to agree, through a simple majority vote, to go on recess for at least 10 days. The House must also agree to allow the Senate to adjourn, but Chavetz says if the House does not agree, or if it disagrees with the Senate on the length of adjournment, then the president has the constitutional power to adjourn both chambers for a timeframe of his choosing.
“That second route has never been used before in U.S. history, so no one is quite sure how it would work,” Chafetz said.
A recess appointment, however, does not have the same benefits as a nominee confirmed by the Senate. Without Senate approval, the appointee would not be paid. The appointee can serve in the role for up to two years, depending on when the appointment was made. After that, the individual could be installed again through a recess appointment or the regular confirmation process.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.